DDA continues work on undergrounding utilities

Jan. 18, 2013

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Undergrounding utilities continues to be a high priority for the Downtown Development Authority.

But taking steps to make it happen has not come easy.

“I met with Russ Weber and SAFEbuilt (the town’s contracted building inspecting service) to visit about undergrounding utilities on the north side of Main Street,” said DDA board member Brent Phinney during the Jan. 16 DDA meeting. “They feel some of the services could be a problem.”

Some of the lines are so old that there’s no disconnect on the line, and they instead run straight into the meter, which is no longer acceptable, Phinney said.

“We might want to talk about a cost-sharing option with business owners to put disconnects on the line,” he said.

Town Manager Kelly Arnold suggested the DDA really needed to sit down with Xcel Energy to get a firm cost estimate.

“You need to understand what it will take to do this,” he said. “And if nothing else, then you can shelve it.”